


When Your Boss Is Your Girlfriend's Ex-Girlfriend

by rinnenotsubasa



Category: GMMTV, Thai Actor RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Bisexual Character, Established Relationship, Male-Female Friendship, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-17
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24771379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinnenotsubasa/pseuds/rinnenotsubasa
Summary: White Nawat believed men and women can be friends. He also had faith in camaraderie at workplace.He’s no longer sure about it when he found out that his new boss, Miss Mild Lapassalan, used to date his girlfriend.
Relationships: White Nawat Phumphotingam & Mild Lapassalan Jiravechsoontornkul, White Nawat Phumphotingam/Janistar Phomphadungcheep
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2
Collections: Juni 2020





	When Your Boss Is Your Girlfriend's Ex-Girlfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -This is purely self-indulgent, me projecting the kind of roles I want these actors to play. No Thailand entertainment company will fund this kind of story and casting so I just have to take matters to my own hands and write it myself.
> 
> -Also an attempt to write a female-male friendship (emphasis on “attempt”) or at least camaraderie in workplace. 
> 
> -I got some inspiration from my best resource in workplace drama: Japanese TV series. Specifically Juuhan Shuttai and Watashi, Teiji de Kaerimasu. You might find some similar elements with Watashi Teiji de Kaerimasu, such as “the boss is the ex” (in the drama, the boss is the main character’s ex, but in this fic the boss is the main character’s gf’s ex). I took some topics from the drama (problems of working while raising babies, feeling of belonging and self-worth, etc) as starting points to build my characters and plot.
> 
> -I don’t know much about Thai language and culture, so I tried googling a bit. As far as I know, “Khun” is a term of address used for people older than you or more senior, and it sounds more formal. While “P” can be used for older siblings as well as for older people/seniors who are not blood related. I assume “P” sounds more intimate and indicates closer relationship (or promotes closer relationship). I could be wrong though! Please do tell me if you know more about it ^^
> 
> -The project trouble in chapter one and the whole office life in this story might lack reality. I should’ve done more research and make it more believable but this time I decided to let it as it is and focus on other aspects of my writing that also need to be improved. It’s one of the reasons I wrote this! To practice ^^

*****

White Nawat wasn’t usually the type who’d flaunt his relationships. He’s okay with posting photos in Instagram only for special occasions and one or two random shots every few months. Gifts or date nights weren’t always captured in camera to be shared with the whole world. In his history of dating none of his past girlfriends complained about it, including his current partner of nearly two years, Janis.

But tonight White let himself showing a bit of PDA. He was just coming out of the elevator to the 1st-floor receptionist of the Grand Front building where White worked when Janis arrived and _jumped_ into his chest. White almost dropped the paper bag of tea that his coworker gave him when trying to catch his girlfriend. Some people passing them were noticing with judgement in their eyes, but no one cared enough to give more than a passing glance. It’s almost 8 PM. Most tenants in this building did not have overtime culture, including Media Cosmos which White had been working for since 2 years ago. Tonight was an exception because White had an emergency revision for project delivery due today. Like White, those who had been working extra after office hours just wanted to get out of Grand Front and catch bus or train for a 1-2 hour ride home. No time nor energy for minding the business of a couple hugging in public.

Today Janis had her long black hair untied, and as she blessed White with her enthusiastic hug, the strands covered the part of her face that wasn’t buried in White’s chest. White laughed and tried to uncover his girlfriend’s face. She was looking up at him with her beautiful dark brown eyes and a sweet smile on her pinkish beige lips.

“Let’s go to Chatree. There might not be many selections left but we might be lucky to grab some before they close up,” White said, referring to the cake shop two buildings away from here.

Janis pulled her torso slightly away, but still hugging so they stayed joined at the hip. She’s quite tall, 173 cm compared to White’s 175 cm. Now that she’s standing straight, her eyes were basically at the same level as White’s and White revelled at the chance of exchanging gaze with his beloved. 

“Oh, what’s the occasion?” she asked with a playful glint in her orbs, acting oblivious as if she didn’t flood their chat room with many texts and voice notes about getting her research plan _finally_ approved. Janis was taking an MA in Cultural Management at Chulalongkorn University. The first year hadn't been smooth sailing, but White watched her giving it her all and wanted to jump with joy every time she cleared each small milestone on her way to Master's degree. 

White laughed as he gently unclasped Janis' arms for him so he could take her right hand in his left and lace their fingers together. "Come on, my princess deserves a treat for her glorious achievement." There's still a long way to go until thesis defense and graduation, but after all those sweat, tears, and cursing from many sleepless nights of working and dealing with her super-busy and overly-demanding supervisor, Janis deserved something nice. 

Janis' fair white cheeks bloomed in pink as the edges of her lips rose high. The single gesture brought a drop of warmth to White's chest, which quickly traveled to every part of him. He's convinced that he's the happiest twenty-six year old man in Bangkok. Sure, he still had a lot of goals to fulfill, past regret to come to terms with, and other not-so-comfortable things to deal with. _"With Dharma established in the mind, even bare rice is delicious enough."_ White had never forgotten the words he saw at Chiang Mai's Wat Phra Singh temple when he saw 7, and all the lessons about gratitude he'd been receiving all his life that etched the words deeper into his heart.

Determined to make Janis smile more tonight, White squeezed his girlfriend's hand and tried to pull her so they could walk side by side. But Janis' body stayed rooted, stopping White’s movement. Her eyes that had been directed at White's face were now gazing beyond his shoulders. Something there must be so shocking that Janis's petite eyes widened until it was no longer possible to stretch them any further.

White twisted his whole body to the right so he could turn around without letting go of Janis' right hand. The sight that greeted him was Mild Lapassalan standing a few meters away from the elevator, wearing a look of astonishment on her face. It's not the kind of surprise mixed with weariness that she often showed to Tay Tawan their coworker; this was pure confusion and… something else. Something more profound and harder to fathom for White who had only been acquainted and working under Mild for about 2 weeks.

Mild seemed to recover from her initial shock quickly, her expression changed into the stern look that White had grown familiar with since the 30-year-old woman became the Operation Manager of Production 2 Unit. Neatly trimmed and drawn eyebrows, also simple brown eyeliner and eyeshadow framed her unnerving gaze, while her cinnamon-colored lips were pulled into a tight line. Her auburn brown hair was tied into a ponytail with the ribbon-shaped blue hair band she’s always seen with at work. 

She was walking towards White and Janis in her usual brisk steps, yet White sensed uncertainty in the clanks of her heels. And as she reached closer, he could also see that her eyes weren't glowing in certitude like they usually were. White was pretty decent in controlling his expressions, so he didn't raise an eyebrow at the oddness, greeting his boss with a smile instead. However he failed to hide his surprise when Mild replied.

"White," she nodded towards him in acknowledgement, then turned her face to her right. "Janis," she said to White's girlfriend, who tightened her grip in White's hand.

White had been dating with Janis as long as he’d been working at Media Cosmos and most of his colleagues knew Janis, or at least had heard of her. Except Mild, his boss of 2 weeks. Maybe Mild had heard of Janis from their coworkers? But that didn’t explain the look of instant recognition and… that unknown emotion on her face. 

"Mild…'' called Janis. His girlfriend’s voice sounded stiff. "It's been a while." There's a bit of animosity in the words, but most of it White recognized as sadness. Almost like an automatic reaction, White rubbed his thumb on Janis’ hand, letting her know that whatever she’s dealing with, he’s here.

Across them, Mild nodded awkwardly then lowering her gaze, probably looking at White and Janis’ intertwined hands. White stopped his thumb under the inspection, but kept Janis’ hand in his hold. 

Mild’s gaze didn’t linger long. She looked up almost immediately and said, “Got a bus to catch.” She nodded again as a farewell greeting before swishing past them. No _“See you tomorrow”_ to her subordinate nor a “word to Janis. In a flash, her figure was gone behind the building’s transparent sliding door.

White turned to his partner, who was looking at the glass door where Mild disappeared from. Janis noticed his gaze and smiled weakly as she she tugged on their joined hands.

“That’s a surprise,” Janis let out an awkward chuckle. “Oops, we gotta go to Chatree before it closes.” It’s obvious that she wanted to move the topic away from White’s boss. White indulged her by starting their walk to the cake shop, but he couldn’t completely let go of the matter. He understood Janis had had more than 28 years of life before meeting White, a long history of experiences and people that White didn’t know. Many times Janis would share it with him in chats during their dates or a lazy day at their apartment, but there’s still so many White hadn’t known, and usually it was fine. His focus was on their present and future together, not their past. But after witnessing Janis and Mild’s reaction to their reunion, something in White’s gut told him that this was important and he would probably want to know.

So as they walked side by side, hands intertwined, through the short walk to the store located two buildings away from his office building, White asked, “How did you know Khun Mild?” 

Instead of answering, Janis replied him with another question. “Does she work in your company?”

“She’s the new Operation Manager,” White explained, and nodded when Janis continued to ask whether that means Mild was his direct superior. It had only been 2 weeks since the restructuring of Media Cosmos’ Digital Marketing Service Department. They’re still based on the 5th and 6th floor of this building, but there had been member changes, such as Nanon transferred to Production 3 which focused on Digital Ads, and P’ Earth promoted to Department Manager to oversee the whole Production 1 until 4. White’s own title also changed from Coding Staff to Account Executive. He would no longer be programming for websites with his own hands, but working with Web Design and Web Development team to create designs, propose them to clients, oversee the development, and manage the maintenance if they also get the order. He’s reporting directly to Mild Lapassalan, who had quit another company and recently joined Media Cosmos to replace P’Earth. 

Janis still didn’t explain her relationship with Mild even as they were choosing cakes at Chatree and walked to the BTS station. Her silence in this matter made White uneasy, but he was willing to give Janis time and space, quietly waiting as he pulled Janis close to his side when they sat on the train. He could feel Janis sinking into him, and that’s good. At least she knew that White was by her side.

It was later at home, after they had finished two delicious pieces of strawberry cake, that Janis started to talk. At first White took their empty plates and forks from the dining table, but Janis said she’d do the dishes, so he handed them to her hands. He sat on the dining table while Janis stood by the sink and rubbed the tableware with sponge.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” asked Janis, back still facing the dining table. White nodded at first, but quickly remembered that Janis couldn’t see him, then spoke his short affirmation.

“I was drunk,” Janis said. When White laughed she added a gleeful chuckle and, “Okay, I was _wasted_.” 

She had finished rubbing the plates and forks and now turned on the tap to wash the dirt and soap away. For a while there’s only the quiet sound of running water, serving as background music while White’s mind wandered to the memory from two years ago. 

He was 24 and had just joined Media Cosmos as a new coding staff. The Production 2 had a welcome party for him and several other new employees. At the bar he encountered Janis, who literally fell on top of him on his way to the toilet. His seniors and colleagues were already gone, some going home while some going for another round at a different bar, and White was at lost on what to do with the young woman who’s too drunk to stay awake. The bartender said she came alone and White couldn’t open her phone to see if she had emergency contact. Eventually he decided to take Janis to the address written on her identity card (he apologized when rummaging through her purse and looked for her wallet), hoping that the door could be opened with one of the keys he found in her bag. Thankfully there’s a matching key. 

After tucking her into the bed, he bought some hangover medicine and went back to put it on her bedside table, along with a note explaining the situation. He mentioned the bar’s name and how he looked through her purse content in search for a way to get her safe back home, thinking it might help her be less worried when she woke up the next day. Not a word on his own identity. He didn’t think it mattered.

Several days later he found Janis at the lobby of the 5th floor where he worked. They agreed to talk at a nearby cafe and that’s where she told the story of how she found his note and went to the bar to ask around about his identity. “You could’ve leave me your name and number,” she protested with a pout. At that time White tried not to get flustered. The first time they met he could only think of how to get the defenseless woman safe and didn’t pay attention to anything else, but now that they’re sitting across each other in a quiet cafe with relaxed ambience, both completely sober, White had the luxury to admire her vivacious gaze, beautiful curves of lips, alluring white skin of her long neck and collarbone that were exposed by the low cut of her blouse. Janis was gorgeous and to have such woman putting some energy and time to find him was flattering. 

Janis made sure they exchanged numbers in their second encounter, and after several weeks of texting, video calls, and a number of dates, she told him why she tried to drown herself with alcohol that night. Not too much details, but it was clear to White that it was a bad breakup. A very bad one. At that time White was ready to open his chest and hand his heart to Janis’ palms, so he said, “Let me help you move on.” She said, “I’m starting to. Slowly.” With those brilliant brown orbs looking straight at White, she added. “It would be a lot faster if you can be my lover.” And how could he say no?

The tap water stopped flowing and the silence brought White’s consciousness back to the present. He saw Janis moving back to the dining table and returned to the seat across him. She looked at him straight in the eyes, like she always did when she talks and it’s a gesture that made White fell for her, among many other reasons. 

“She’s the ex,” she said quietly, gaze not moving away from White’s. Another moment of silence followed as White’s brain tried to process her words, and then she added. “Mild was my ex-lover.”

White didn’t let his jaws drop in surprise, but he was shocked enough to stay quiet for another moment. As he usually did when getting engulfed in emotions, especially strong ones, he made effort to focus his awareness to his body. Was the muscles around his eyes or his shoulder tensing? Is there throbbing in any area of his head? How he could feel the slippery sensation of sweat on his skin and hardness of the table surface under his fingertips. How his chest moved up and down to convey air into his lungs. 

It’s not the fact that Janis had a woman as an ex-lover that surprised him. He’d known that Janis was bisexual before they became official. Although he had never personally known an openly bisexual person before meeting Janis, he had friends and family who were gay, lesbian, or transgender. He preferred to judge people by direct interaction and their qualities other than gender and sexuality, so he never let his own heterosexuality make him view others with different sexual orientation in a incriminating way. This was nothing to be bothered with.

The fact that her ex-lover was his current boss though. Now _that’s_ something to think about.

  
  


***

***

#### <ACT 1>

The length of time doesn’t always determine how much you know someone. In the case of Mild Lapassalan, two weeks had shown plenty of what you need to know about her as a boss and everyone seemed to have reached their own conclusions. The general consensus was not favorable to their new Operation Manager. 

Some were vocal in expressing their dissatisfaction, including Win Metawin. The leader of Web Design team was their representative complainer. You could hear him grumbling about this or that every 5 minutes and you didn’t have to see his face to know that he had a scowl on his face. Ninety nine percent guaranteed. 

Others were less outspoken, but White could see their dissatisfaction fuming. Neen Suwanamas, leader of Web Development team, had this murderous (not White’s words) look every time she’s angry or irritated, and you could see her directing that look towards Mild’s desk when she’s not around. 

By the third week, Mild’s reputation didn’t seem to improve. Even Jamie Juthapich, a fellow Account Executive, who generally didn’t care about office gossips and kept an amiable but professional vibe at work, pitched in an emotional criticism into the chattering group at lunch in the 5th floor relax room. It was a new experience to see Jamie talking about something other than her family or the latest TV drama in favor of talking about her boss behind that said boss’ back. 

“We have planned for the dinner weeks before,” Jamie slumped her shoulders as she looked at Sammy, a.k.a Samantha Melanie Coates, the leader of Content and Social Media Management team. “He tried to not look so disappointed but he wears his heart on his sleeve. It’s heartbreaking to see him like that,” Jamie whined and leaned herself to Sammy’s touch when the latter rubbed the side of her right arm gently. 

Yesterday Mild told Jamie to work overtime because there’s a proposal due today in late afternoon that needed to be revised. Jamie said she’d work on it this morning and submit it early so Mild would have plenty of time to check it. It should be fine since Mild was free of meetings today (based on their unit calendar app) and Jamie was always true to her words. Mild should had known that. Jamie was the only one whose work had not been criticized by Mild because she’s good and always delivered. Yet Mild outrightly told her, “This is an important client and we can’t afford to lose it. You might need time to revise it tomorrow so I need to check it ASAP.” There’s implied distrust behind those words and it was bad enough to hear it from your superior when you had given nothing less than excellent results. What made it even worse was Jamie had to receive it in front of many other people because Mild came to Jamie’s desk (which was among the desks of other Account Executive) instead of writing it on email or calling Jamie to her desk. So yesterday Jamie ended up cancelling a dinner date with her super-busy surgeon husband and doing overtime with guilt towards her husband, also frustration and disappointment towards her boss.

Sammy tried to console Jamie with arm rubs and food. The older women had a reassuring smile as she did so, but White could see fatigue in her eyes. Sammy’s orbs were slightly puffed up and red. Maybe she’s just having an especially rough week of balancing work and raising two toddlers. White hoped she’s not having it too rough. He pulled out his phone and typed a brief note to remind him to buy ingredients for cookies and bake some during the weekend. Sammy had told him that her kids loved his homemade cookies when White brought some for all of his fellow Production 2 members. It might not help directly in her situation, but it’s always a good thing when it could make her smile more. 

***

***

After lunch, White was scheduled for a quick meeting with all Assistant Executives and Mild to review ongoing and upcoming projects. There were three AE--White himself, Jamie, and Tay Tawan--and one Assistant AE, a Chinese-born and resident of Bangkok of four years called Nai Wan.

During the first half of the meeting, Mild had her tied into a ponytail with a blue, ribbon-shaped, elastic hair band. She’s usually seen with that hairstyle inside the office (always using the same blue ribbon hair band), only taking letting her hair loose in two occasions. One, when she’s about to meet a client. She would style her hair and let it drop on her shoulders. Two, when she seemed annoyed or frustrated, just like when the AE meeting was going halfway through.

They’re reviewing the progress of a special project for a big client, Bangkok Food and Beverage, lead by Tay Tawan. It was a website development for the company’s Pop-a-Soda product. They had regularly reported each deliverables to the client through the Reclog management tool and everything had progressed according to schedule. But then the client requested them to speed up the final delivery because they’re changing the product’s launching date to avoid a nasty competitor. 

Accepting requests out of the requirement definitions and agreements would require cost, and there’s a limit to what Media Cosmos could give pro bono as service to an important customer. Production 2 unit could have negotiated for more reasonable delivery schedule, if only they hadn’t made a mistake. 

At their last meeting with Bangkok Food and Beverage, the client had agreed to put off implementation of auto-options in the website’s chatbox. They would pop up a greeting message and let users type in whatever they wanted without selecting a category of inquiry. After a discussion, they decided it’s best to let it be like this during the product launch campaign period, then change it afterwards if it’s deemed necessary.

That’s where the problem lay.

“Why is BFB’s agreement not written in the MoM?” asked Mild as she looked straight at Tay’s eyes. Well, _glared_ would be more appropriate. 

Tay, being Tay Tawan, showed a smitten grin at the glare, before he seemed to remember where he was and schooled his expression into that of seriousness. White glanced away from Tay for a bit and caught Jamie’s face on his left. Jamie looked torn between amazement and the feeling of giving up.

Here’s the thing: Tay had a crush on their new boss. Everyone in Production 2 knew it, and White doubted that Mild herself had missed the signs (since it was as obvious as if Tay was wearing a headband with “I have a crush on Mild Lapassalan”). Even so, Mild might not know that Tay had this… uhm, _affinity_ for being the target of many kinds of gestures and words filled with hostility. Win had once provided a compact summary with the word “masochism”.

So yeah, Tay would definitely love being glared at by his crush and White would be fine with it, to be honest. Only if it wasn’t during a work meeting discussing a project trouble.

Before Tay could respond to Mild, Nai Wan spoke up from the seat in Tay’s left. She was obviously nervous, but she did her best to talk and look at Mild’s general direction.

“It’s my fault, Khun Mild. I forgot to note it on the decided item and final delivery requirement…” Nai Wan shrunk a bit when Mild turned her attention to her.

“Okay, so that’s the reason,” Mild said calmly. At this point she still had her hair tied up, but her right hand was reaching to her ponytail, running her fingers between the strands of hair. 

When she spoke again, she was back to look at Tay. “Then why didn’t you notice?”

“I’m sorry, Khun Mild,” said Tay, thankfully with no grinning this time.

“How did the negotiation go?”

“They insisted that they want the auto-options, that they had never agreed to take it off. They want us to revise the chatbox and deliver by next Monday as compensation….”

“Monday…” Mild’s hand had now reached the blue ribbon hair band. White winced at the sight. It’s coming and his body was reacting. “For everything? Not just the chatbox?”

Tay visibly gulped before answering, “Yes.”

Ah. It’s just their luck to have an opportunist representative from the client side. The rep must had used this mistake as an opening to demand quicker delivery. 

Mild dismissed the AE meeting and let them out of the meeting room, but she asked Tay and Nai Wan to report to her later after the two of them finished adjusting their work timeline.

From what White heard from Nai Wan and observed himself in their open-plan office, Neen wasn’t complaining much as the chatbox revision was not a lengthy task. It did take her extra effort to reorganize her team’s resource to speed up the rest of the development, but not impossible. One scornful side-eye glance to Tay was all she gave. The design work was adjustable too, though it didn’t stop Win from giving long rant of complaints to a begging Tay and incredibly remorseful Nai Wan.

The biggest burden was at the hands of Perth Nakhun, leader of Web Quality Assurance (QA) team. The QA process was conducted concurrently with each small deliverables, but for this final delivery, they need to prepare more resource. Perth, being the soft-spoken and smiling angel that he was, quickly agreed to Tay and Nai Wan’s plead without a single complaint. 

It was too late when everyone found out that Perth had been forcing himself. Out of whim, Win tried to check one of the pages that was reported as OK by Perth’s time and still found an error. There was a mistake in a time when they had to hurry up delivery.

Perth, Tay, Nai Wan and Mild gathered at the free space near the AE desks to sort the situation. Since the whole Production 2 office was one large room with no partitions (except for the enclosed meeting room and the separated relax room and bathrooms), White could see and hear what’s going on. Mild was sitting on side of a table, her hair was let loose and the blue ribbon hair band was wrapping her left wrist over her black men’s watch. Her gaze wandered between Perth and Tay who were sitting across her. For once Perth wasn’t smiling, his posture tense. 

“I’ve read your report,” Mild focused on Perth now. She wasn’t yelling, just stating out the facts, but there’s something piercing in her tone. Even White who was listening from beside could feel the jab. “Your members got careless to hurry for the deadline and you didn’t detect their mistake because you’re also working on the QA yourself, instead of focusing on compiling and checking as you’re supposed to.” She paused, giving Perth time to respond.

In the end Perth only managed a nod and a weak, “Yes, Ma’am.” He visibly shrinked when Mild gave him a demeaning gaze.

Tay, bless his soul, didn’t seem to falter in this tense atmosphere. He had his torso leaning over the table as he tried to spread his positivity around.

“It’s okay Khun Mild, we can finish this!” His smile only turned slightly stiff when Mild turned at him with icy gold glare.

Mild opened her mouth as if trying to say something to Tay, but seemed to decide against it. She shook her head once and returned her attention back to Perth.

“Why didn’t you calculate the load the first time Tay requested?” she asked. “It’s been a month and you can’t estimate workload properly?” Again, she’s not using any profanities or raised volume, but the stab was clear. She’s basically saying that Perth was doing a terrible job on his first month as the new QA team leader.

“I did and when considering the deadline I thought we could finish by today so WebDev can revise any bugs tomorrow.”

“You thought.” Mild said with her most quiet and coldest voice ever. “Have you thought about the load for each members? No thinking about outsourcing help from other teams, or even other units? Didn’t you see the weekly reports yesterday? CSM is only 60% full and Design can surely spare 10-20% of their resource.”

Perth looked a bit pale now. He humbly nodded, said that he would request to Sammy and Win for help and give a briefing to the support members from their teams. Mild gave him a blank face and said, “You could’ve finished it by the end of working hours if you had done this earlier. You’re a team leader. Don’t act like a member.” Then she left Perth on the desk for Tay and Nai Wan to try cheer him up. Perth gave them a smile and words of reassurance, but White could see that he was forcing himself. 

It was almost 6 PM when Win walked past White’s desk to approach Mild’s. Tay was already standing there, discussing something with Mild. Win cleared his throat loudly to interrupt. Mild’s desk was near the AE area and there are no partitions. This allowed White to hear Win complaining about Perth having to work overtime.

“It’s his decision,” Mild simply responded. The fingers of her right hand was rubbing the back of her head in a quick motion, making her untied hair slightly ruffled. When Mild was looking like this, some of White’s colleagues would says she had the "medusa vibe".

Standing in front of the desk and towering over Mild with his 182-cm height, Win looked like he’s in the arena of a bullfighting, only that he’s the angry bull instead of the matador. “Perth has a 3-months old baby and her wife is struggling to take care of him alone. He can’t do overtime,” he said with actual anger, a contrast to his usual complaints that always sounded like minor irritation.

The Web Design leader’s face turned redder when Mild calmly said, “He should’ve arranged his resources so his household affairs can also be resolved.” She didn’t flinch when Win blatantly glared at her. White could see her reasoning. It was unprofessional to let personal life affecting work. But he always chose to see case by case and consider each person’s condition. In this case White thought Mild could’ve been more tolerant and he sympathized more with Win.

Win might had done or said something terrible if Perth didn’t come to Mild’s desk. Perth looked at everyone’s faces in confusion and settled his gaze on Win, asking what’s going on.

“Why didn’t you ask for help?” Win asked. There’s less anger and more exasperation in his glare towards Perth. 

Perth replied with a guilty smile. “I didn’t…. It didn’t occur to me…”

Win let out a very loud sigh, even Nai Wan who’s sitting across from White got startled.

“You’re always like that. It’s because you’re weird fixation on not wanting to ‘trouble’ other people. And I’m not talking just about work,” Win quickly added when Perth started to open his mouth. “Why didn’t you tell me Ciize’s mom already went back to Khon Kaen?”

Perth replied gently, as if trying not to arouse Win’s anger any further. “My mom’s coming in a few days so I thought it would be fine.”

“Yeah, except now your kitchen lamp is broken and Ciize’s all alone dealing with that and a constantly crying baby.”

“She’s having Mrs. Phom over to watch over Yim while she repairs it…” Perth’s voice got quieter with each word as Win’s glared on him intensified.

“Mrs. Phom is 30 years older than your moms and she even walked so slow. You check on her everyday to make sure she’s doesn’t slip in her bathroom or something. What makes you think you can rely on her instead of me?” White could hear the hurt behind Win’s voice and it seemed Perth did too. The QA leader was looking at Win with guilt in his eyes.

“Whatever,” Win said with a huff. “Tanwin and Bank will stay here so I’ll go buy some diapers before going to your house.” Then he left the desk without as much of a glance towards Mild and Tay. 

Right after Win left, White sent a message to Janis, saying that he’d be home late. When Janis replied saying she’s going home first, White told her to heat up the food he prepared in the fridge. He loved to go home on time and have dinner with Janis, but today he felt that he needed to stay and do something. Thankfully they had some leftover from lunch preparation (White cooked his own lunch and bring lunch box to office) and White had transformed them into a simple but edible menu, so at least Janis wouldn’t have to trouble herself for getting dinner.

_Janis:_

_Will you have dinner home?_

_White:_

_I’m going to cook and have one here._

  
  


Janis sent him another message to take care of himself and a cute sticker of a cat blowing hearts from her lips. White sent her 5 red hearts and walked himself out of the office. He headed down to Grand Front lobby and went out of the glass door, heading to the right. There’s a small alley less than 500 meters away and he made another turn. By the end of the alley he arrived at a one-floor cafeteria with no signboard. Many workers in Grand Front frequented this cafeteria for its reasonably-priced homemade flavor menu. They called it “Laan-jot-rot (parking lot)” because there’s a parking lot right next to it. White wasn’t exactly a regular since he usually brought his own lunch, but sometimes he had dinner here after an overtime work and for “special occasions” like tonight.

“Auntie Mae,” White said to the 50-year-old woman behind the counter and got a wide smile in response.

“White! What will you have tonight?” Auntie Mae gestured him to come closer. White obliged.

“Actually can I borrow the kitchen?” White pressed his palms together. Auntie Mae tapped his left arm in a friendly manner. 

“Of course, boy!” 

White was welcomed behind the counter door by the other staffs. Everyone was familiar with White’s occasional request to buy some ingredients from them and borrow their kitchen to cook. Ordering from the cafeteria would of course be easier, but he enjoyed cooking and sometimes did it for his colleagues. 

He’d like to get the meal ready before 7 and he’s planning on cooking for everyone working late tonight, so he chose two dishes that were easy to make in large portion: vegetable noodle soup with tofu & lemongrass and basil pork stir-fry. Uncle Dao, one of the chefs, was kind enough to offer his help, so White asked him to help with preparing the ingredients. He even helped bringing the meals to White’s office, going up with him to the 5th floor and into the relax room, setting three large wrappings of meal on the table near the door.

White’s co-workers gave him hugs and wide smiles for the food. After spending a few minutes to serve everyone in the relax room, he went inside the working area with a bowl of soup and another one filled with rice and pork stir-fry. As expected, Mild was sitting at her desk, eyes glued to her laptop screen as fingers moved seamlessly over the keyboard. Her hair had returned into a ponytail, so there was no need to move her fingers away from the laptop to brush away strands of hair that might fall off.

It bothered White that no one cared to call Mild and ask her to have meal together, but he could understand his colleagues. Mild’s work ethics were not in line with their unit’s style and it had started to take a toll on everyone. Her demands for quality were often thought as unreasonable, and the way she conveyed them were lacking in tactfulness. Interaction with others were limited to work talks and her idea of greeting was a brief nod and a small smile, less enthusiastic than the smile she gave to clients, but the same aura of insincerity. It’s understandable that the majority of opinion leaned towards her being an insufferable boss and no one wanted to associate with her any more than they needed to. 

White had never mentioned it to anyone, but he didn’t feel like giving the final judgement to Mild yet. With the invisible guard Mild put up around her, White thought that it was too early to really get to know her and make a decision about her character. Maybe if Mild was to be pointed out her dissonance with the entire unit, she might change her ways. Maybe she didn’t even realize that this was a problem. White was convinced that raising awareness and giving the chance to change were the appropriate approach. He was a believer of second chances. For almost his whole life, he had continuously sought the chance to be seen more than what he appeared in the surface: a privileged young man from a wealthy family. He knew the struggles with prejudice and being rejected the chance to prove his own worth. Maybe Mild was similar in the way that she needed the chance to prove her ability to transform for the better. Yes, maybe….

Mild looked up when White approached and put the bowls on her desk carefully, on the empty space to her left and slightly away from her laptop. 

“The others are having the dinner at the relax room but I thought you’d prefer to have it here,” White explained. He waited as Mild moved her gaze from his face to the two bowls, then pulling her chair so she was away from her laptop and closer to the bowls. She put her palms over the bowl of soup, staring at the pile of noodle, tofu, and carrot in the transparent soup for a few moments. White couldn’t guess what emotions were harbored in her eyes as she did that, neither when she finally looked up to White and said a short “thank you.” She wasn’t smiling, but she took the spoon on the bowl to have a taste on the soup, then continued to take another spoon. With her left hand that wasn't holding anything, she reached to her hair that was tied with her blue ribbon-shaped rubber band and dangling on her right shoulder, then moved the bundle of hair behind her neck. After clearing the risk of having her hair get in her way, she put down the spoon to take the chopsticks and took a few bites on the pork stir-fry.

“Where did you order this?” she finally said after putting down the chopsticks.

“I cooked them.” White saw Mild squinting her eyes in disbelief so he added, “I borrowed the kitchen in Laan-jot-rot, the cafeteria behind our building? Next to the parking lot?” Mild didn’t seem to recognize the place but she no longer look doubtful.

“Maybe if you have some time…” White continued, “We can take you to Laan-jot-rot for lunch. We haven’t had meal together since your welcome party and everyone would love to do it again with you.”

White wasn’t hoping Mild would say yes immediately, but he sure didn’t expect a scoff from the older woman. It was certainly not a pleasant thing to have someone do that on your face. 

“Right,” Mild’s tone was brimming with sarcasm. White felt a tinge of annoyance as he tried to persuade Mild in the gentlest voice he could manage in that condition.

“We haven’t had the chance to get to know you more. If we make the time we can work on the misunderstandings,” he tried to reason. White knew that being friends with every people you work with was impossible, but he sincerely believed that mutual trust and goodwill were necessary in the workplace. He hoped that Mild understood it and made some effort to connect with them and build a sense of solidarity in their unit.

But this time Mild sneered. “I don’t mind they hate me as long as they do their job right.”

“Hate is a strong word--”

“Oh come on,” Mild rolled her eyes. “They hate me. And so do you. I mean, wouldn’t you? With the thing between me and…” Mild visibly gulped. “...her.” She’s talking about Janis, White figured.

With Mild staring straight at him with a provocative gaze, White felt the small bud of irritation inside his chest growing into something bigger. He tried to put his awareness to how the burning sensation filled the space between his ribs and made his chest skin felt warmer.

“Why should I hate you?” White pronounced each word while feeling the way his lips and tongues moved. He listened to his own voice and heard a composed tone with slight bitterness.

“After all the things I did to her. Why wouldn’t you?” There’s a flash of guilt in Mild’s eyes, but she didn’t stop raising her chin and staring at White challengingly. 

White paused for a moment. He tried to move away his awareness from the sight of Mild and focus on himself. The way his chest heated up in annoyance, the way the edges of his lips tensed, the way air went through his nose and into his lungs in faster pace than normal. _Okay, I’m getting angry_ , a voice in his head said. He didn’t tell his brain to send signals to his body so he could go back to normal breathing pace and be less tense. He didn’t have to. Just by noticing the way his body reacted, everything started to go back to how it was when he didn’t want to yell at his boss.

When White spoke again to Mild, he knew he still had less than favorable feelings towards her, but now he had it under control.

“Janis haven’t told me anything except for you being her ex.” That was the truth. Janis hadn’t told him any details and White was willing to wait until she’s comfortable enough to do so. It did bother him sometimes. Janis had it bad after her breakup with Mild, as evident in her drunken state the first night she and White met. White’s protective instinct told him to find the source of her pain, so he could make sure she would never go through something like it again. But he understood that not everything about someone’s past have to be shared, and that it might not be 100% Mild’s fault that the relationship ended badly. White had refrained himself from making assumptions about others’ lives. He’d had enough of people making assumptions about _his_ and he was not going to start giving the same treatment to someone else.

Mild’s eyes widened a bit, as if she’s having a hard time believing what she just heard. White wondered what exactly happened between Mild and Janis that Mild seemed to be convinced Janis would talk bad about their relationship. But White wasn’t looking for the answer, at least not now.

“I’ll leave you to finish,” White said as he was about to leave for Perth’s desk. The QA leader had been asked by his members to have dinner together, but said that he’ll catch up in a few minutes. 

But before White could take more than two steps away from Mild’s desk, the unit manager stopped him. “Does he have no relatives in Bangkok?” she asked, gesturing towards Perth. There’s no judgement in her voice now. Only curiosity. White felt somehow happy to hear it. It’s like she’s showing genuine interest to the people she worked with. So White turned around and explained.

“Perth and Ciize came here for college on their own. They met here, got married, and it’s been the two of them since. All of Perth’s family lives in Udon Thani, Ciize’s lives in Khon Kaen. Not a single relative here.” 

Mild nodded before asking another question. “Why is Win…” She frowned a bit, as if having a hard time to articulate what’s in her mind. She finally ended up saying, “...cares about him?”

White blinked a few times, trying to inquire the reason behind Mild’s question. It didn’t occur to him at first, but after putting a bit of a thought, he could see why.

“They’re good friends.”

“Win and Perth?”

White chuckled at Mild’s confused face. “Yeah.”

“I mean… They’re so different.” Mild shrugged. She was right. You could even say that Win Metawin and Perth Nakhun were polar opposites. 

Win grumbled all the time like he’s letting out complaints instead of carbon dioxide each time he breathed, and he's not hesitant to be vocal about his dissatisfaction if he wanted to. He’s rarely seen without creases between his brows, but it didn’t stop a lot of colleagues, not just from Production 2 but the whole company, to fawn over him. His face was handsome even with a frown, and his shirts and pants couldn't hide his muscle-packed figure. 

Meanwhile Perth radiated softness with his gentle gestures. His smile would be the first thing you saw every time you meet him, then the twinkle of his eyes. The way he spoke was also gentle, even his laughter sounded soft. His half-Australian blood gave him a foreign look that many people found attractive, with high nose bridge and thick eyebrows. It's his good nature that made many people feel comfortable with him, some female colleagues would jokingly flirt with him and say what a shame that he already had a ring on his finger. 

But sometimes opposites do attract. That was the case with Win and Perth.

"Yes," White said with a smile. "They often get off work together. It's either stopping by the gym or going to Perth's house for dinner." It's nothing rare to see Win and Perth clocking off together after a work day ended and chatting all the way in the elevator ride down to the basement parking lot.

"Oh." Mild looked pensive and only nodded when White finally left her for Perth's desk. 

When White managed to get Perth with him to the relax room, everyone else had finished their meal. "We left plenty. Make sure you finish it all!" they said with large smiles and firm pats to Perth's back and shoulders. Perth replied with a huge grin and followed White to the table near the door, where the rest of the meals were placed. White scrapped off every last bit of meal on the table and served it for both of them. Their colleagues weren't kidding when they said they spared a large portion. It was enough to fill White and Perth's bowls to the brim. They began their dinner after Perth got them two cups of lukewarm water. They're both the rare types in this office that preferred normal temperature water over cold one. 

Actually White hadn't spent much time alone with Perth, but he's not someone who shies away from potentially awkward social interactions. Besides it was easy to feel relaxed with Perth. The older man was charming in his gentle way, not rushing his words like he had too much to say in a limited time, but was comfortable enough to carry a nice conversation. During the dinner they talked about various topics, from Perth's childhood pet to White's weekly meal planning.

When the topic somehow turned into White's first day at Media Cosmos, Perth remarked, "It's been two years… and four years for me…" The edges of Perth's lips went up as his eyes glazed with what might be flashes of memories of his time in the company. White watched how moments later Perth's lips kept smiling, but the vibe surrounding him turned melancholy. Why? White wondered. Asking directly could be the right way, but this time White had a feeling it's better to wait.

So he dug into his plate quietly, mouth moving to chew on his food instead of giving questions. Moments later his patience was rewarded with Perth speaking up.

''I've always thought you're amazing, White," Perth said. He's still smiling, and the smile was somewhat sad. "You're not from Computer Science, right?"

White hoped that a nod would suffice as an answer, but Perth wrinkled his forehead as he tried to dig into his memories and gave White a look hoping for hints. The topic of his university major was not White's favorite, so he had to force his mouth a bit to say, "It was Pharmacy." 

Perth's eyes twinkled. "Yeah! I mean, that's it! You graduated from Pharmacy and became a back-end dev. How awesome is that?" Perth's tone was that of genuine admiration and it pained White that he couldn't accept his senior's praise wholeheartedly. White's four years at Pharmacy school were not something to be regretful about, he admitted that. It was a period full of transformative events that helped shaping the person he was now. Yet he couldn't help but feel it would had been a much better experience if he had chosen it himself. 

Also, he didn't like the heat of anger flowing inside him, directed towards a certain person who made him spend four years studying something he's not passionate about. But White wasn't about to tell that to Perth.

Instead he listened to Perth saying, "You got a webdev job by self-taught and in just two years you got promoted." There's no menace in his next words, but White sensed self-deprecation. "It took me four years."

A lot of thoughts filled White's head. They demanded White to argue with Perth, to chastise Perth for summarizing the past several years of his life as if it was all amazing, to explain how hard it was for him to get the job without the expected degree, and the pain he endured _after_ he got the job when people made speculations that his father spent money for getting him the position. It was frustrating. 

White didn't fight the voices in his head. He simply listened, let his consciousness be awake and aware of them, until it slowly drifted to other things; his surroundings, the person in front of him. Yes, _this moment’s not about you_ , the voice in his head finally said. It was about Perth.

So White turned the wheels in his head, thinking carefully. What could he say that would benefit Perth now? He tried to think about the what kind of person Perth was, and the answer came to him easily.

“Do you remember what you said to Nitta on her first day?” White said. At his words, Perth tilted his head slightly to the right. His eyes blinked in confusion.

Nitta was a member of Web Development team who joined the company around the same time as White. When she started her first day on the job, there was a big, rushed project going on. Even White, who at the time was also a newbie joining the team less than a week before, had to handle a large portion of the work so they could make it for the delivery. Nitta was also instructed to help and alas, she made a mistake.

Under that stressful situation, Golf, another senior member of the Webdev team along with Perth, lost his temper. He snapped at Nitta. The originally quiet and meek woman didn’t take it well. From White’s desk he could see her working with a face that looked like it’s seconds away from bursting into tears.

In the end Nitta didn’t cry and the work ended up fine. But she ended her work hour with a gloomy face, worn out from her hectic first day of work.

“She was bummed from making a mistake and getting scolded by P’Golf,” White continued as Perth nodded in recollection, but his eyes still looked confused. The older man seemed to not remember what he did that day. “At the end of the day, you walked to her desk and chatted with her. I can’t remember the title but you said the keychain on her bag was from the same cartoon series that you like. You talked about other things as well. And then finally you said ‘Thank you for your help today. We’re really saved. See you tomorrow.’ and smiled.” 

“I guess I did chat with her…” Perth added his remark. “Can’t really remember though,” he chuckled. White joined him.

“She smiled too,” White continued. “That was her first smile, first _real_ smile that day. At the introduction in the morning she’s so nervous, you could see her forcing her face muscles for a tiny smile. But after chatting with you, her smile was natural. And you don’t remember it because it’s a natural thing for you, but for her, for me who’s watching as well, it gave us reassurance. And hope.”

White paused as he saw Perth’s smile turned somewhat shy and less sad.

“I wanted her to know,” Perth said. His eyes a bit glazed as he looked at White, as if he’s actually looking _through_ White at something distant in the past. “That she’s welcomed and needed.”

Perth didn’t seem to notice as his eyes still seemed hazy, but White sensed another presence on his right. He glanced at the relax room door and caught a sight of Mild, with two bowls on her hands and one foot entering the room, as if she just realized there were people here and was re-thinking her choice to come in. 

The oblivious Perth continued his words. “I didn’t want her to feel what I felt.” His smile grew larger but sadder. “I was… the employee that bosses wish would disappear. Not here, I mean. Yes I got my fair share of scoldings when I make mistakes but here, I feel accepted. I meant at my previous company. And the previous one. And the one before that…”

White could still sense Mild’s presence by the door but he chose to focus his attention to Perth, who now looked like he’s ripping open a very bad wound.

“I wanted her to know that even if we make mistakes and seem like not good enough… There are people who’ll accept you and help you grow, places where you’ll feel belonged. That even if you’ve been struggling and got thrown away again and again, someday you’ll find it. Like how I found here.”

Perth’s wide but slightly sad smile made White’s heart ache. He’d heard a bit about Perth’s work history. The older man had been a contract worker for 3 companies before Media Cosmos and was always let go at the end of the contract period, even got his contract cut short when one of the companies had to reduce employee cost.

“I’m glad you’re here P’ Perth,” White offered his widest smile. It relieved him that Perth’s smile became more cheerful now.

“I might have to prepare for another job change though,” the older man said jokingly. When White gave a small smile and shook his head, Perth said, “I know, I’m doing better now and I think I’ve contributed enough for the company to appreciate me and keep me, but… as leader… I don’t know if I can pass the probation.” He ended with a shrug and a self-deprecating smile. White had seen Perth’s smile so many times for the past 2 years but he thought it’s the first time he’d seen a mocking one. The fact that it’s not directed to anyone else but himself, that was _so P’ Perth_.

White tried to come up with something to say, something that would hopefully lift up Perth’s spirit, but he couldn’t be sure with any suggestions his brain made. Sometimes when someone’s already convinced with their point of view, there’s nothing you could say to change it. To their ears, encouragement might sound like bragging, and sympathetic words like mockery. White wasn’t sure how Perth would react.

Before White could say anything, Perth shook his own head in a gleeful chuckle. No more self-ridicule in his smile and the glint in his eyes seemed a lot brighter. “Well, all I gotta do is work harder. I have a wonderful team and colleagues like you, and I got Ciize, our little Yim.” 

Perth gave his most relaxed smile today before widening his eyes in surprise. White followed his gaze and found that Mild was no longer standing by the door. Now the Operation Manager was walking past White’s back and heading to the cabinet by the wall. She was quiet as she put the tableware on her hands to the upper shelf, only opening her mouth on her way back out of the relax room.

“Don’t stay past 9.” Her choice of words was curt and she’s barely glancing at White and Perth, but there’s something warm in her voice. Maybe Perth felt it too. The QA leader gave a wide smile and an energetic “Yes, Khun Mild!” to their boss’ back.

*****

The Bangkok F&B project was far from over, but they had passed one critical point of the process. Tanwin and Bank from Webdev stayed for overtime with the QA team yesterday, and they were able to swiftly fix any bugs found during the checking. Since they had enough time for finalization before delivery, there’s no need for another overtime today.

Yet for some reason Perth was still at his desk past 5:30. White had just came back from a meeting out-of-office and was getting ready to go home when he saw Perth staring at his LCD, fingers hovering above his keyboard. White thought of checking on Perth after he finishes locking his laptop in is desk, and was surprised to see Khun Mild Lapassalan getting up from her chair and walking towards the QA team leader.

All the people in the room seemed to have their eyes on their boss, some did a good job on hiding it and pretending to be getting ready for home, some were showing less than stellar of an acting performance. 

Mild didn’t seem to mind the attention. She kept her composure as she walked until she reached the side Perth’s desk and asked, “Reports?”

If Perth was surprised at the sudden visit, he didn’t show it. His usual gentle smile was present as he answered, “No, Khun Mild. It’s finished. I just thought I could work on more of Bangkok F&B before tomorrow. Just so… in case… I mean, earlier is better.” He struggled with his last few words so maybe he was nervous.

Mild’s response was, “I saw the revised schedule you gave Tay. It’s fine. We’ll still make it tomorrow. Go home.” Her tone was firm and authoritative, but White actually thought it’s the nicest thing she’d ever said as far as she’d been their manager.

Apparently Perth seemed to have the same impression as White. His smile was wide and full of relief when he said, “Yes, Khun Mild!” and started to turn off his PC.

Mild didn’t say another word. She simply turned on her heels and went back to sit behind her desk. White thought there’s no way she wasn’t aware of the jaw-dropping and stares directed at her; everyone had given up being subtle by then. Win Metawin did the most by blatantly scrunching his forehead and giving a bewildered look towards Mild’s desk as he walked by with one arm over Perth’s shoulder. Khun Mild stayed unaffected and just continued to type on her laptop.

Before disappearing behind the door, White saw Win stopped frowning and shook his head in a small chuckle. The others going through the door behind him also had smiles on their faces. It’s the day Khun Mild cared enough to go to her subordinate’s desk and told him not to overwork. You could call it a miracle.

White was so impressed that he just had to go to Mild's desk with his largest smile. 

"Thank you."

Mild raised an eyebrow at him. "For what?"

"For showing that you care."

Mild merely scoffed.

"You should go home early too. I think I've seen you working overtime for a whole week."

Mild didn't look up from her laptop screen when she said, "I get him. What he said about not wanting to be thrown away. That's why I'm staying a bit longer."

Her words made White stunned. She seemed to be referring to that night when Perth told a story about him being unwanted by many companies before. What had she been through to make her say that? And for someone who just told another person to stop overworking, she should be applying her advice to her own self. White wanted to say everything filling his mind, but seeing Mild's tense shoulders and tightly pressed lips, White decided this wasn't the moment. There's so much one could share with another person, and for people like Mild, pressing her to open up more would only push her to clam up. There would be another time. Not today.

White excused himself but before he could leave for the door, Mild stopped him.

"How is she?" she asked without stopping her fingers on the keyboard neither looking up from her screen.

White knew who she's talking about. He's just too stunned by the sudden question, he let silence be born between then. 

Mild seemed to take it as White not understanding her question and she added, "Janis, I mean."

The voice that called Janis' name was careful, like it was pronouncing the most precious word in the world. Hearing it ignited a small fire inside of White's chest. He didn't feel it often, but he knew it enough to recognize it as possessiveness.

And that led him to respond with a curt, "She's great."

Mild hummed a quiet "Good" and seemed like she's not going to say another word. That's fine. Terrific, actually. White thought he might end up saying something rude if they continued this topic. In a somewhat robotical way, he said an "Excuse me" as he turned on his heels. From the corner of his eye he briefly saw Mild pausing her fingers on the keyboard to reach the back of her head, pulling off the blue ribbon rubber band from her hair, touching it with delicate strokes. She looked so small and miserable, nothing like the Khun Mild that White knew. Even if she's feeling terrible because of how she ended things with Janis, at that moment White didn't have it in him to care.

Once he arrived home and entered past the entrance, White didn’t make a left turn to the living room and the 50-gallon tank inside. His usual routine was to greet Muang, Nee, Yoo, Blue, and Green (his goldfish, Bristlenose Pleco, and mystery snails) the first thing when he stepped home, but this time he went straight to a room on the right. He knocked gently on the door and opened it when he heard Janis’ slightly muffled “Come in.”

Janis didn’t look up from her laptop when White entered the study room, but she removed her hands from the keyboard to stroke White’s arms that were hugging her over the chair.

“Welcome home,” Janis whispered and tilted her head to give a peck to White’s left cheek. White could feel her gaze scanning his own face. Whatever she saw (or did not see) there, she mentioned nothing about it.

“I’ll finish in 10 minutes and let’s go to the kitchen,” she said with a pat to White’s right arm.

White thought he should shower or at least change clothes while waiting, but he didn’t feel like letting go his hold. “Can I stay here?” He couldn’t help but sounding a bit like a child sulking for treats. Janis chuckled at that. “Get a chair, your legs will be sore.”

Over cooking and later on the dinner table, White and Janis chatted about their day. Janis had been putting grueling hours on her thesis, but the progress had been very rewarding. When she asked White about work, White told her about the Bangkok F&B project. Mostly he talked about Perth and his other colleagues, trying to not mention his boss often. He’s feeling less antagonistic towards Mild but still failed to feel comfortable to talk about her.

After his summary of the big project, he thought it would be the last time he talks about Mild tonight. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Janis dug into her plate and spoke in what might be her attempt of being casual. “Is she doing okay?” White already knew whom Janis was talking about before she added, “Mild, I mean.”

“She’s doing overtime often but seems healthy,” White simply said. He's afraid that if talked any more, jealousy would seep through his voice. So instead of more words, White gave Janis extra meat to her plate, which earned him a sweet smile from his girlfriend. Janis didn’t continue the topic and White was grateful.

Later when they’re all cozy in their nightwear and tucked under the blanket, White turned to his right, facing Janis’ back. After a year living together, White had figured out that Janis loved hugs and cuddling, but not during sleep because she easily felt hot. Even with the fact in mind, that night White felt the urge to pull Janis into his his chest. As White was thinking of turning his body around so he could brush the urge off his mind, he felt his left hand being pulled. Janis didn’t turn around, merely taking White’s hand and putting it over her waist. With a smile, White indulged himself and pulled Janis into his hold. 


End file.
